July 5, 2013. A special training lab with simulators for hot-roll mill operators was launched at Sinara Pipe Plant (SinTZ, a member of Pipe Metallurgical Company). The lab, fitted with the entire package of software and equipment needed, is located in the administrative building of Pipe-Drawing Department 2 (V-2), the enterprise’s press service says.

The new lab has six simulators that imitate the working conditions of operators of sizing mills, reeling machines, piercing mills, and three types of longitudinal rolling mills. The devices completely emulate the hot-roll production line of the TPA-140 mill at Pipe-Rolling Department 2 (T-2); the control panels are aligned in the same order as the one used for the actual equipment in the department. The monitors display a 3D image of the section at work, the process of pipe going through the sections, and the result of the operator’s actions. What is more, the programs can create models of emergency scenarios that can pop up during the mill operation.

Up to 300 people are expected to receive simulator training every year. Employees with similar skills can get a second qualification, which will mean personnel can cover for one another if needed. In addition to the company employees, training at this lab will be offered to students from the plant’s staple colleges such as Ural Federal University, Kamensk-Uralsky Polytechnic Vocational School, and Kamensk-Uralsky Metallurgical & Machine-Building Vocational School who are studying metal forming.